The Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team represents Fresno State University

California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State University and synonymously known in athletics as Fresno State , is one of the leading campuses of the California State University system, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA.The campus sits at the foot of...

 in NCAA Division I college baseball

College baseball

College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...

.
Along with most other Fresno State athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Western Athletic Conference

Western Athletic Conference

The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...

. The Bulldogs play their home games on campus at Pete Beiden Field

Pete Beiden Field

Pete Beiden Field, formerly Varsity Park, is a baseball stadium on the campus of the California State University, Fresno in Fresno, California, built in 1966. The baseball park is the current home of the Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team, and named after former baseball coach Pete Beiden, who led...

, and they are currently coached by Mike Batesole

Mike Batesole

Mike Batesole is the head baseball coach at Fresno State. In 5 seasons as head coach, he has compiled a 172-134 record. He previously coached for 7 seasons at Cal State Northridge. His overall record stands at 428-292-1. In 2006 and 2007, his teams won back-to-back WAC championships in baseball...

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Fresno State in the NCAA Tournament

• The 2008 NCAA Division I College World Series
  College World Series
  The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
  
   Champions.
  • In one of the more improbable Cinderella stories in American sports history, the Bulldogs surmounted a daunting array of obstacles on their way to the NCAA title:
  • Fresno State had never won an NCAA championship in any men's sport going into the 2008 tournament.
  • Fresno State had previously won only one national championship in it's school history, the 1998 NCAA Women's College World Series
    Women's College World Series
    The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...
    
    .
  • The Bulldogs entered the Western Athletic Conference
    Western Athletic Conference
    The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
    
     tournament at 33-27; they would likely not have made the NCAA tournament without winning the WAC tournament, which they did.
  • They were the #4 seed in their regional. Since only four teams play in each of 16 regionals, this is the equivalent of a team seeded #13 or lower in the NCAA basketball tournament
    NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
    The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
    
    . No #4 seed had ever advanced to the College World Series. By contrast, no #13 or lower seed has ever made the "Elite 8" of the men's basketball tournament, which is arguably equivalent to the eight-team College World Series.
  • Six times in the NCAA tournament, including three times in the College World Series, they faced elimination with a loss. They won all six times.
  • They won a total of 10 tournament games against six different teams ranked in the top 20. ESPN pointed out that in terms of the NCAA basketball tournament, Fresno State's run would be equivalent to a 13 seed beating a 4 seed in the first round, a 5 seed in the second round, a top seed in the Sweet 16, a second seed in the Elite 8, another top seed in the Final Four, and still another 2 seed for the championship.
  • The Bulldogs' stellar underdog journey to the CWS Championship was nominated for an ESPY
    Espy
    -People:* Cecil Espy , American baseball player* Duane Espy, American baseball figure* James Pollard Espy , American meteorologist.* Mike Espy , American politician* William Gray Espy , American actor...
    
    .

Fresno State's 30+ NCAA tournament appearances is good enough to rank in the top 10 all-time.

Notable Former players

• Jared Fernandez
  Jared Fernandez
  Jared Wade Fernández is a former Major League Baseball knuckleball pitcher who last pitched in for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League....
  
  
• Tom Goodwin
  Tom Goodwin
  Thomas Jones Goodwin is a former Major League Baseball player. He attended Central High School in Fresno, and then went on to play for Fresno State University...
  
  
• Jason Brosnan
• Bobby Jones
• Adam Pettyjohn
  Adam Pettyjohn
  Adam Christopher Pettyjohn is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. Pettyjohn attended Exeter High School in California and then Fresno State University where he was a teammate of pitcher Jeff Weaver...
  
  
• Jeff Weaver
  Jeff Weaver
  Jeffrey Charles Weaver is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has pitched in the majors for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners...
  
  
• Mark Gardner
• Terry Pendleton
  Terry Pendleton
  Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...
  
  
• Jimy Williams
  Jimy Williams
  James Francis "Jimy" Williams is an American former manager of three Major League Baseball teams. He was born in Santa Maria, California.-Playing career:...
  
  
• Doug Fister
  Doug Fister
  Douglas Wildes Fister is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.Fister bats left-handed, and throws right-handed. He was born in Merced, California and attended Golden Valley High School. For college, Fister attended Merced College, and later Fresno State University...
  
  
• Steve Hosey
  Steve Hosey
  Steven Bernard Hosey is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball. He appeared in only 24 major league games, all with the San Francisco Giants....
  
  
• Augie Garrido
  Augie Garrido
  August Edmun Garrido, Jr. is a coach in NCAA Division I college baseball. As of June 12, 2011, Garrido has compiled a record of 1,817 wins, 823 losses, and 8 ties. He is currently in his 43rd season of collegiate coaching...
  
  
• Matt Garza
  Matt Garza
  Matthew Scott Garza is a United States professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.-Amateur career:He attended Washington Union High School and Fresno State.-Minnesota Twins:...